Islands
Islands
Islands is a strategic board game where players take turns placing tiles, creating a map of islands, bridges, water, and lighthouses. Participants compete for territory control and earn points for completed objects.
Basic Rules
Each player has 7 pieces. At the start of the game, there is already a starting tile on the field showing a fragment of an island and a bridge. The tiles depict fragments of islands, bridges, and water. Some tiles also have lighthouses. After placing a tile, the player may place one of their pieces on one of the objects of this tile: on an island, on a bridge, on a water area, or on a lighthouse.
Object Types and Their Role
- Islands — the main source of points. They can consist of one or more tiles. Some islands contain an "anchor" symbol that gives additional points when scoring.
- Bridges — lines connecting different parts of the map. They bring points for their length after completion.
- Lighthouses — separate objects that are evaluated based on the number of surrounding tiles.
- Water — spaces between islands that affect the final scoring at the end of the game.
Scoring During the Game
Points are awarded when an object is completely completed:
- Completed bridge (has clear endings on both sides) brings 1 point for each tile included in it.
- Completed island (completely surrounded by water and has no "gaps") brings 2 points for each island tile. The anchor brings an additional 2 points.
- Lighthouse is considered completed when it is surrounded by tiles on all 8 sides. It brings 9 points (1 for the tile itself and 8 for the surrounding ones).
After completing an object, all pieces standing on it are returned to their owners and can be used again in subsequent moves.
Territory Control Rules
When placing a piece, an important rule applies: there must be no pieces of other players on the selected object (including all tiles already connected to it). This means you cannot occupy an already "controlled" territory.
If multiple pieces of different players end up on one object (for example, when territories are merged), the player with the most pieces gets the points. In case of a tie, all such players receive the full amount of points.
End of Game and Final Scoring
The game ends when all tiles run out. After this, final scoring is done for incomplete objects:
- Incomplete bridges bring 1 point for each tile.
- Incomplete islands bring 1 point for each tile (without doubling) and +1 for an anchor.
- Lighthouses bring 1 point for each surrounding tile, including the lighthouse itself.
- Water brings points for completed islands it borders (3 points for each such island).
The player with the most points wins.
